After not one but two serious right leg injuries - lower and then upper - BMW’s Michael van der Mark came back to his regular WorldSBK ride at Magny-Cours.

We caught up with him in his pit box on Friday, after the first session. He was feeling fine, if under orders to not get too far ahead of himself.

“I feel all right,” he said, simply. “The only thing I feel is a bit stiff, but it’s quite normal because of the screws and stuff. I’ve got no pain whatsoever. Even on the bike now I feel more movement than I had in Barcelona (test).”

With two nasty injuries to deal with the question had to be asked about which one was the most complicated or difficult to heal.

“The first one (lower leg) was complicated because the way it was broken, but the second one was more of an emergency because of the blood circulation. So, that was a really fast surgery there. Also, they can screw all that together, but they’re still not sure if they saved the bone. The first one was very complicated, the second one was more long. Yeah, it’s okay now.”

VDM won a race for BMW last season, in changeable wet conditions at Portimao on the then new M1000RR, so it must have been even more frustrating seeing Scott Redding have good results now, with VDM stuck at home immobile. Not so, said a man who has a left field point of view on many things.

“For me, it was easier to watch because I knew the bike was improving and it was better than before,” said Michael. “It was good to see Scott fighting for podiums. Of course, it’s frustrating to stay out, but to see that the bike is doing better, it’s really nice to see.”

VDM said that he did think he would be back to his best for the end of the season - with six rounds left including Magny-Cours. He was not allowed to push too hard at this round, however. “I’m not allowed to try it!” he said, half joking but a lot serious.